I'm sure most of you are pros at commissary shopping. I just researched a small bit on why we pay a surcharge, so here are my findings...

When did the commissary start this surcharge?

"Congress set the surcharge in 1952 at 2 percent in order to make commissaries more self-sustaining and less reliant on appropriated funding. It was raised three more times over the years and has stayed at 5 percent since 1983. This surcharge covers all stateside and overseas commissaries now."
Quote from Why Does the Commissary Charge a Surcharge

How it is used to help Patrons?

"Surcharge is applied to the total value of each commissary purchase because the Congress has mandated collection of surcharge (currently 5 percent) to pay for commissary construction, equipment and maintenance.

All surcharge dollars collected are returned to commissary patrons in the form of continually improved commissary facilities."

Here are more surcharge facts:
1. It's not a tax.
2. It's added to the gross total due, before coupons.
3. It's figured into official savings calculations, along with any sales tax or value-added tax applied to retail grocery stores, to accurately determine customer savings, which currently stand at 31.5 percent overall.

Those savings reflect the government commissary mandate, dating back to 1825, to sell goods "at cost" – that is, with no markup or profit.

Surcharge dollars have paid for construction projects since 1974, but experimental surcharges existed as long as 121 years ago, according to DeCA's historian, Dr. Pete Skirbunt. "There was a surcharge in 1879 and another in the 1920s, but the first permanent modern surcharge of 2 percent was established in 1952.
Quote from: Commissaries.com &ndash; News &ndash; News Release

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